Sacrifice of the Widow by Lisa Smedman

Just finished a new Forgotten Realms book, Sacrifice of the Widow by Lisa Smedman. Now, this is what the War of the Spider Queen should have been. Smedmen again show why she is one of the more under-rated writers around as the book has a bit of everything. Tension, fighting, high magic, plots, betrayal, everything is here.

The book start slowly with Eilistraee and Lolth playing over a sava board. Of course being gods, the pieces are mortals. Halisstra Melarn, who was turned into the Lady Pentinent in the last book of the War of the Spider Queen, is busy killing priestesses of the Dark Maiden under the orders of Lolth. Seems that after her long Silence, Lolth is trying take out the Dark Maiden. Being drow, the other gods of the Dark Seldarine (Selvetarm and Vhaeraun to be exact) are trying to take sides and gain advantage in the war between the 2 goddesses.

Eilistraee's forces take a beating throughout the book and her top gun, Qilue of The Seven Sisters is doing a lot of fighting. The ending was great. 2 gods dead, 1 god wavering between good and evil. Yes, things are exactly (finally) happening in the Forgotten Realms. Now, if only the same thing can happen in the upcoming Orc King.